Wagon-tongue support



No. 624,980. Patented May 16, I899.

, J. B. ROBERTSON.

WAGON TONGUE SUPPORT.

(Application filed Now-80, 1698.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet 1'.

ATTORNEY. 1

n4: uonms wzrzns co. PHOTO-LYING. WASHINGTON u. c.

No. 624,980. Patented May I6, 1899.

J. B. ROBERTSON.

WAGON TONGUE SUPPORT.

(Application filed Nov. 30, 189B.) (No Model.) 2 Shaets$heat 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOI? A TTORNEY.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES B. ROBERTSON, OF KEOKUK, IOWA.

WAGON-TO NG U E SU PPO RT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 624,980, dated May 16, 1899.

Applioationfiled November 30, 1898. $eria1N0. 697,934. (No model.) I

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES B. ROBERTSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Keokuk, Lee county, Iowa, have invented an lm provemeut in or Relating to a New and Useful W'agonilongue Stay-Spring, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in springs for holding wagon-tongues, &c.,- in place while in use, so as to take the weight of same off the necks of teams hitched thereto. I attain this object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top View of the rear end of a wagon-tongue with brace attachments, with a top view of spring attachments. Fig. 2 is a side view of said tongue, with the left brace omitted, coupled in its natural position to the front hounds of a wagon,with the left hound and left wheel omitted. This figure also shows the spring and its gearing attached as it appears in use holding the tongue in position. Fig. 3 is a top View of the spring with the tongue disconnected and with the connecting stay-clevis (see Fig. 5) extended, so as to present a rear View thereof. Fig. 4. is a side view of the spring fastened to the lower side of the axle and attaching stayclevis G in its natural position for receiving the tongue. Fig. 5 is a View of the connecting stay-clevis. Fig. 6 is in perspective of the same mechanism detached. Figs. 7 and 8 are in perspective of that part of the mechanism which attaches to the tongue and con nects with the spring, as shown in Fig. 2. Figs. 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 are in perspective of the disconnected parts of Fig. 8. Fig. 14 is a side view of the complete invention in its position when in use, with the woodwork omitted, the dotted lines showing the tongue and spring attachments disconnected.

Similarletters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

J is the connecting-arm of a coiled spring with the point bent downward, so as to hold or retain the connection when caught in connecting-link H, as in Fig. 2. I is the long arm of said spring, which reaches back and fastens to the lower side of the axle F, as in Figs. 2, 3, and 4..

a, as in Fig. 13.

G is a connecting stay-clevis constructed and attached to the spring, as shown in Figs. 3, 5, and. 6. This clevis is connected with the tongue by removing the rod (see Fig. 1) which goes through the tongue and braces to connect it with the hounds of the wagon in front, putting thetop part of the clevis.

astride the central piece of the tongue or that covered by O, and then reinserting the con necting rod through the top holes in the clevis. Thus made fast it becomes a stay for the spring and holds it inposition.

O is a catch support which is fastened to and extends back of the rear end of the tongue, as in Fig. 7. It has a raised eye at the rear end thereof, through which the pivotarm E is brought, as in Figs. 7 and 8. A pin goes crosswise through this eye and arm to make the connection complete. F. is provided with a number of holes through which the pin may go, as is shown in Fig. 12. These are provided for the purpose of adjusting the position of the tongue in connection with the strength of the spring.

H is a swinging catch or catch-clevis which swings loose when disconnected with the H is provided with a release=drum Thisdrum turns on a connecting-pin, and thus allows H to be discon= nected from J without friction. I

K is an adjustable brace on the lower side of the tongue extending to H in the rear. On the rear end of this brace are provided two. shoulders, one on either side, which are for the purpose of preventing H from swinging forward when attempting to catch it over J and for the further purpose of throwing it off of J as the front end of the tongue is pressed downward.

L is a clamp-nut which when tightened down holds K in position. K is provided with oblong holes, (see Fig. 10,) through which it is bolted, so that it may be slid backward spring J.

or forward after loosening the nuts of the bolts which hold it fast.

A plan of the use and operation of my invention may be best explained by reference to Figs. 2 and 14. When applied as shown in Fig. 2, with connections all made, it holds the tongue in a horizontal, inclined, or declined position, according to its adjustments,

and prevents the weight of the tongue from bearing down on the necks of the team hitched thereto. When the team is unhitched therefrom and it is desired to have the front end of the tongue down, it is only necessary to press down on it and the catch H is pushed off of the end of the spring J by the brace K, and the tongue is thus released by its own automatic operation. To understand this fully, observe the dotted outline in Fig. 14. In order to reconnect the parts and again bring the spring into use, it is only necessary to raise the front end of the tongue a little higher than the rear end and the catch [I swings back and drum a rolls back over the end of spring J, and as the tongue is lowered to its horizontal position again the connection is made sure.

What I claim as myinven tion, and for what I desire to obtain Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatic tongue-support the combination of a swinging catch pivoted at the top to a device for that purpose attached to the top of and extending to the rear of the rear end. of a wagon-tongue, with a short arm of a coiled spring pivoted in front of said catch to the lower side of said tongue by a connectingclevis and said spring having a long arm reaching back under, and fastened to, the axle to hold the said spring and short arm in position, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a wagon-tongue stay-sprin g which has its rear fastenings to the axle and on the lower side and its front fastenings to the tongue on the lower side thereof, with adjustable automatic catch and release connecting it with the rear end of the tongue, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a coiled spring pivoted to a connecting-clevis which is pivoted to a wagon-tongue by the rod which pivots said tongue to the hounds of the wagon, said spring having one long arm which reaches back and is made fast to the lower side of said axle, to hold it in position, and having a shorter arm which reaches back and catches in a swinging device attached to the rear end of the tongue,

having a raised eye through which a perpendioular adjustable pivot-arm is fastened, to the lower end of which arm is pivoted a swinging catch, with release-drum at its lower hearing, supported by an adjustable brace attached to the lower side of said tongue, which said swinging catch automatically attaches itself to or detaches itself from a short arm of a coiled spring pivoted in front of it to the lower side of said tongue, and having a long arm extending back and fastened to the lower side of the axle, which said spring-support when attached to said spring holds the said tongue in a horizontal position, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a wagon-tongue stay-spring the combination of a coiled spring attached to the lower side of the tongue by a stay-clevis pivoted to said tongue by the rod which pivot-s said tongue to the hounds of the wagon, said spring having a long arm which extends back and is attached to the lower side of the axle of said wagon and havingashorter arm which reaches back toward but in front of said axle; with a pivotal swinging catch which is attached to a support fastened on the top of and extending to the rear of the rear end of said tongue, said catch made adjustable so as to reach down and connect itself with the projecting end of the short arm of said spring by lifting the front end of said tongue and to disconnect itself by depressing the front end of said tongue, substantially as shown and described.

JAS. B. ROBERTSON.

Witnesses:

J. E. CRAIG, A. J. MOORARY. 

